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Review: The Jackbox Party Pack 3 (Switch eShop)


The Nintendo Switch is chock full of potential multiplayer gaming memories already, however one game with many more possibilities is The Jackbox Party Pack 3. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, The Jackbox Party Pack is an exciting collection of accessible games that up to 8 people can play. It’s quite astonishing when played in a party environment, as the accessibility lies also in the controls, which are all utilized via a website you can reach on your phone. Anyone can drop in and start playing almost instantly via a room code; the convenience makes Jackbox a vital game in your Switch library. It’s just unfortunate that it’s held back by a couple of factors that can potentially break the experience for players.


For starters, the games in the third Jackbox have decent variety. There are five games that will test anything from your pop culture knowledge to the eloquence you have when creating t-shirt designs. The 3rd Jackbox collection includes Quiplash 2, Trivia Murder Party, Guesspionage, Tee K.O., and Fakin’ It. Most games require at least 2-3 players and can support up to 8 players.


Quiplash 2 is one of the most notorious games in the collection, where you and up to 7 other players are given prompts and can respond in any way possible. The humour can go places which will have some reminiscing of Cards Against Humanity, and just like in that game players choose which responses to prompts were funnier. With games that take around 10-15 minutes at most it’s an incredible test of wits, and with a group of friends and the inclusion of in-jokes its one of the standout titles on the compilation.


One drawback which can be seen in the other Jackbox games rears its ugly head in the most recent iteration. That is that many of the hosts and voice-work in this game have disappointing writing. A case in point is the host in Trivia Murder Party, which is certainly distracting. Trivia Murder Party is a pretty great trivia game otherwise, and whenever individuals miss a question they are required to do different minigames. Whether they test your memorization or math, it’s an interesting addition which makes the game stand out, even if the host can distract from the fun.


Guesspionage also unfortunately exhibits the problem of a host that can come off as unfunny and slightly obnoxious, however it’s easily made enjoyable with the volume off. In it, you guess percentages that are based around surveys. It’s good fun.


Sadly, Jackbox also requires Wi-Fi in order to play with your friends who are in the same room as you. Which means no Quiplash while on the road, or in any environment which isn’t accessible to the internet. You can definitely tether to a mobile phone hotspot (it thankfully uses only a small amount of mobile phone data), but your mileage may vary as you have to use your phone to select answers and some phones will slow down drastically alongside their quickly draining battery.


Taking away from the score of Jackbox Party Pack 3, ultimately, is the unfortunate lack of execution on portability. If needed also make sure you have the family filter enabled, as a point of reference, as some questions and aspects of the humour are coarse and might be considered offensive. We also can’t recommend the game if you don’t have at least 3 other players, as it is exponentially better when played with a larger group of people.




Conclusion


While this game is a great set-up for hilarity, it’s regrettable that it can’t always execute its own punchlines. However, it’s an excellent title if played with the right crowd. It’s a great selection of party games, and is worthy of a place in a Switch library accessed by groups of friends. Due to the nature of its controls, however, don’t expect much in terms of portability.





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